DIRECTOR-GENERAL,
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION REGARDING DEATH OF BURUNDI REPRESENTATIVE

"It is with great sadness
that we hear of the tragic and untimely death of Dr Kassi Manlan, the World
Health Organization's Representative in Burundi.

Dr Manlan has worked hard, most
recently in Burundi, to promote better health and well-being of the people of
Africa.

His death will leave a void in
the lives of many, though we will forever remember his personal and
professional achievements and his contribution to Africa's development."

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Dr Manlan was born on 1 December 1947, and was a
national of Côte d'Ivoire. He was a Doctor of Medicine with a specialization in
Hepato-Gastro-Enterology. He wrote about fifty publications in his area of
specialization and on public health. Dr Manlan served as Senior Physician in
several hospitals in Côte d'Ivoire, and taught at the Faculty of Medicine in
Abidjan from 1972 to 1995. He supervised about 40 doctoral theses in medicine,
and helped train many doctors in his field and public health. After being a
consultant for the World Health Organization and other agencies, he joined the
Organization in 1995. Starting in 1998, he was in charge of the Development of
Human Resources for Health unit in the World Health Organization Regional
Office for Africa. He assumed the post of World Health Organization
Representative in Burundi in 2001. Dr Manlan was married with four children.

______________

Dr Manlan was reported missing
from his house in Bujumbura on the morning of 20 November. The circumstances of
the death are currently under investigation.

For further
information: Please contact
Melinda Henry, WHO Office of the Spokesperson; Telephone: +41 22 791 2535, Fax:
+41 22 791 4858, E-mail: henrym@who.int All
WHO press releases, fact sheets and features, can be found on Internet on the
WHO web site: http://www.who.int